I was a foster kid and honestly, after moving so much ( I lived in three states and like ten houses before Foster care) I stopped caring about where I lived and with what. It is pretty common and I wanted to codify that into a person.

Attachments in general are just hard.

"Another freak?"

"Are you surprised it's him, he's always reading those blashphemous books!"

"My ma says Vamps are always sinners before they turn..."

Declan smiled brightly through all of the nasty comments as he rummaged through his locker. He didn't care what they said or thought of him, he had only been in this school for three months and had made no friends besides April and even then she annoyed him. Really this was all victory as far as he was concerned. Nothing could screw that one over...

"DECLAN MICHAEL SCHMIDTT!"

Said new Fledgling sighed, letting his head droop at the sound of Sunny's unbearably loud voice. ' Strike that from the record, there is one loss here. One last confrontation.' Sighing deeply again, Declan drew on the pain of his returning headache and started to gather his supplies. He ignored the booming mutterings and loud boots clicks of his foster father as he marched towards him.

Absently he turned towards his foster father, wondering where the hell everything went wrong with the man. He was tall and actually not ugly, with a nice slightly rectangular head and firm Dutch features. He had a soothing voice and in that respect would have made a wonderful therapist or social worker had he not been sucking of Jesus' dick since infancy. Naturally this meant that he fit right in with the People of Faith or rather he would if he didn't hate organized view's of religion.

His tiny but plump wife, Lil, waddled right next to him providing the next defining quality of Sunny's personality. Dominance, only his views were right. The man literally, on many occasions, talked about how he and God had their own Language. For whatever reason, this made the man think he was somehow owed obediance and was always right, something he enforced on his wife who readily went from kind and only mildly judgmental to his perfect wife whenever the two were within ten feet of each other.

It was obnoxious.

"Yes Sunny?" Declan held, or rather attempted, to hold back his fear. It wasn't easy, Sunny terrified him... he was practically a religious, slightly nicer version of his own father.

Sunny glares, looking as pompous as usual, something only inflated by the shock brought on by the sight of the Mark Declan proudly displayed for him to see. "I am not surprised, your blasphemy always was going to catch up with you... " The cold look cooled even further before shifting down to Declan's own eyes. " You have a choice. Return to us and reject the Vampyres, or go to them and lose everything. Nothing you have at our home will go with you." '

Declan actually shivered for a moment. 'That's illegal... sigh, but it doesn't matter. Tulsa has enough issue with treating other races as equal, they might actually help them lynch me if I challenged for my stuff...' Pain spiked his in his as stressed blurred with the pain of the Change, he knew full well there was only one path available. "I chose them... and I chose me. If I go with you, I will die. I have to go within twenty four hours, Sunny. You know that... and I am. Legally you have no rights to me, hell not even my Dad does. I chose me. I did it when I turned my dad in for beating me and I am sure as hell not going to hold back when I am literally in danger of dying."

Ignoring the gasps, Declan turned on heel and marched out with his hoodie over his eyes and his bag over shoulder.

" Burn everything Sunny, I don't care."

His mind went to his stuff, to his Gameboy, tiny collection of books, his seventh grade attempt to sow a pillow in home-ec.… and he couldn't really care about any of it.

'I've been to more highschools then there are in this county. I've lived in three states, and I have been in foster care for over a year. This is nothing new for me.'

He did care though... Way more then he wanted to admit, just not about his stuff. He cared about himself, and wonderful when the hell he would start to care about anything.

It had been so long... so long since he really gave a damn about... basically anything.

It was exhausting.

'Cheer up Declan, new life and all that. I got this!' He smiled to himself. 'Okay, list five good things. New life away from Sunny and Dad can't get custody of me, that's one. I am probably going to be handsome so there is that. More athletic, and I might lose my chubbiness since Vamps have a higher metabolism. I heard the Vamps don't care about me being a flaming homo. They are famous for hoarding knowledge, so I get lots of books and I get to learn a lot.'

Taking in a shaky breath, realizing just how nervous he was, Declan put his smile on full force and walked out of his highschool, eager and willing to start his new life.

But first, he had to actually get to the House of Night.

'Looks like I am going to have to walk... fun.'

"Huh, Neat." Declan, his feet and legs aching from having walked for several hours, stumbled towards the large gate with happiness. "I still can't believe I took six wrong turns." A Sharp spike in his headache followed by a horrific wracking cough left him stumbling and reminding him that it was a lot more then his poor sense of direction that had gotten him lost.

"Who's there!" Apparently someone had heard his cough and thought he was an intruder. He could almost feel the person nearby, despite hearing none of their foot falls. "A fledgling, damn it. Open the gate." The holder of said voice was rich, deep and oddly fatherly. Of course Declan was coughing to hard to really care about that and was struggling not to collapse as black spots danced over his eyes. The voice picked him up, revealing said voice to be very small when compared to Declan's heftier build.

'Please tell me I am not dying! I just fucking got here!' The coughing fit vanished instantly, and slowly the new Fledgling managed to look up. As his vision cleared and his glasses actually mattered, his saw the world around him in bright technicolor. His eyes immediately went to his savior, a sweet dad looking guy with an Epee on his hip. "Ugh, Thanks." Breathing felt wonderful and he fully managed to focus his thoughts again. "Uh, Declan, new fledgling as you already said. Nice to meet you sir."

The man actually smiled back, looking pleased. "We were worried you weren't coming. You were marked hours ago, and your foster family has been making some... interesting calls."

"Not a surprise, their not very nice. I had to walk and I got lost. Not exactly from the area. Sorry, but hey I'm here and I'm alive."

The Man nodded, definitely amused. "Yes, that you are. Well Declan, Merry Met. My name is Dragon Lankford." He held out his hand, which Declan gripped right back around the forearm. Apparently this shocked the little man. "Your familiar with our traditions? Huh..."

"I read a lot, and Vampyres are interesting." He shrugged for a moment before retracting his hand and smiling some more, taking in the sights. It was about here that he realized there was no students. "Oh, shit... everyone's asleep right? So why are you awake, do you like the... well it technically isn't the graveyard shift is it? I mean it is still Day time." He shook his head, sensing the tangent before it overtook him. "Doesn't matter. What do I do now?"

The newly minted Dragon just seemed amused by the new Fledgling. "You need to meet our High Priestess, then your in for a nap I imagine. We are nocturnal after all and you've been up for a while."

"Great, sounds ducky. Where are we going? And am I expected to worship Nyx, cause I'm not a fan of any religion?" He didn't hold back, mostly as he felt a trickle of Mania ( Oh the Joys of being Bipolar) coming upon him. Or maybe it was already there, but he was too sick to show it...

Dragon started to lead him towards a large building, making a wide but very serious gesture. "Normally it would be our High Priestess that would tell you this, but yes. At least the most basic rituals. The Full Moon rituals, major holidays. Twice a week we have rituals as well, so there is that." He sighed and gave a mournful stare at a statue that Declan finally noticed. Naturally it was a flawless naked statue of Nyx. "Why you wouldn't want to, I cannot understand, but you are entitled to that thoughts. Free will is the Goddess' greatest gift to us all, and your not the first Atheist to come here."

That made him smile, at least a little. 'At least he acknowledges that he isn't in his own rights to change my mind, or convert me. Kind of like him...I want something nice to happen to him, maybe he finds a dollar or gets laid or something he likes... hmmm, I like that.' He chuckled a little, seeing Dragon's confusion. " Sorry, it's a game I play in my head. Inside joke, I can't really explain it well."

Dragon just seemed exasperated here, but accepted his statement none the less. "Very well...Here we are, the administration building. This is where Neferet's office is."

As Dragon stepped ahead, Declan stopped and carefully looked at the man. ' Why... something. When he said her name, it's like when Sunny talked about me being gay in public. Not openly disrespectful but...' He frowned, and felt himself pushing away. 'Please, please be nothing. I don't want to screw my new life up, again!'

While he was desperately trying to not to have a break down, a door opened, and what only could be described as a Goddess walked out. Stunning, and taller then his near six feet, was a women that radiated perfection. Her skin was creamy with just enough flush to not look like a corpse, this made her moss green eyes and shockingly not ugly auburn hair stand out all the more. Too add even more to her perfection was her body, curved in a way that would make all hookers and strippers weep with envy.

"Hello, child. I am Neferet, welcome to the House of Night." Her arm reached out, and she seemed equally surprised and pleased when he gripped her forearm.

"Merry met." He smiled, though this time it felt less genuine as he was already tired of being polite and wanted to nap. Still years of abuse and being forced to act right in public kicked in and he was unable to act on that feeling. " So, what do I do from here?"

"Well, that depends on you in the long run... but for now, let us work on the very first step in your new path. What name do you wish to take? As a Child of Night, you can take any name you wish to have."

Actual joy returned here. "I've wanted to be a Vampyre since I was old enough to understand that. Declan Greyborn… or Daniel Greyborn…. no, I like Declan but I think I'll go by Grey most of the time anyway..." Shaking his head, realizing another tanget had hit him, he blushed a little. "Sorry, that happens... um, Declan Greyborn it is."

Her smile was beyond radiant, and had he not played for the other team it might have made him fall in love. "From this point on, your name is Declan Greyborn. So mote it be!"

Declan would deny it, saying it was just the force of her voice, but in that moment something rushed over his skin and left him breathless in a way far greater then the coughing fits had managed.

Chapter End, tell me what you think.

I realized a huge issue with HON stories. No transition period. Like seriously its right into the action without thought, so here I am actually integrating him and letting him be a person first. A natural weakness of mine and one I need to work on in general really.

Love, your Ninja Overlord,

Mika.